'Shameless' Renewed for Season 9 at Showtime

The dysfunctional Gallagher family is staying put at Showtime.

Just three days after its season 8 premiere, Shameless has been renewed for an eighth season, Deadline reports, making it one of Showtime's longest running series to date.

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"We are so grateful to Showtime for giving us the opportunity to continue making Shameless," showrunner and executive producer John Wells said. "It's a labor of love (and a blast) for all of us."

Season 8 premiered to raving reviews and impressive numbers. Drawing in 1.86 million live viewers Sunday night, up 50 percent from season 7's premiere, it marked the show's second-highest-rated premiere and the best overall Shameless telecast since season 5. Among all shows on the network, it ranks as Showtime's highest rated and most watched series.

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"As challenging as it can be for any show simply to maintain viewers in the current TV landscape, Shameless is adding them in droves," Showtime Networks president and CEO David Nevins said. "But it's no mystery why. The series' reputation for rich and resonant characters and for deep – and deeply twisted – comedy has drawn not only faithful longtime viewers, but a steadily growing audience. And creatively, the season that kicked off this past Sunday is stronger than ever."

Production on season 9 is expected to begin in 2019. The entire cast is set to return.

Shameless airs Sundays at 9 pm ET on Showtime.